A Sandbox for Thoughts and Actions in 'Post Racial America'

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What Is Celebrated

I like this discussion and concern that confederate monuments should be taken down and I hope it goes further than that. There are statues everywhere celebrating heinous parts of history at the expense of reminding other groups about their abusive relationship with America.

NYC for example Columbus Circle: a monument to the genocide of indigenous people and greed. The Dr J. Marion Sims statue in Central Park: a monument to a man who tortured Black female slaves in barns and then was deemed the “Father of Gynecology”. Plainly put, it’s time we admit that the foundation of this country is a heinous one. That’s why our money, Ivy Leagues, and financial institutions are dominated by racist people. The oldest financial institutions in the country began as companies in the slave trade. They kept that money and built the empire we know as Wall St. A slave legacy associated with the Confederate Flag. Our most “prestigious” universities began as institutions that whitewashed Native Americans of their history and culture. It bred and taught racist science. Circulated that material throughout academia. Then graduated people who had degrees in racially biased education. To continue to write in academic journals we know today (AMA and APA) and conclude that one day Black people soon will die off. Because science!

We need to question what we celebrate and what we allow to continue as a “default”. We need to understand that the default is in fact racism in this country. It was never about freedom, equality, equity, and understanding of all from the beginning. That is something we are fighting to gain. So in order to obtain that we must start recognizing this fundamental piece of American history.